Rings of the Sunset
by Been.There.And.Back
Summary: A one-shot. Holly explains to Artemis what the colors of the sunset mean. Artemis makes his move with each glowing color. "After all, there is so much pink up there..."


**Disclaimer: Artemis is not mine, it has never been mine, and it WILL never be mine… BUT A LITTLE GIRL CAN DREAM CAN'T SHE? Anyway, fanfic time…**

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"Thirty one, thirty two, thirty three," Holly counted each daisy as she wove it into the chain, pressing her back against the tree on top of the biggest hill in Tara, "thirty four," she gave a sideways glance at Artemis, who was laying on his back on a blanket in the tall grass, eyes closed, fingers laced behind his head. He twitched slightly as she enunciated "four" softly, and Holly saw his right foot tap five times on the ground.

She plucked one last daisy from the patch around the tree and slipped it into the complicated pattern, "thirty five," she said rather loudly. Crawling over to him on her knees, she unceremoniously flopped the crown of daisies onto his head, mussing his perfectly tousled ebony locks. His eyes opened a crack and he reached up and took it off, inspecting it. The warm afternoon breeze drifted past him and swung the daisy crown loosely in his grasp. With a smirk at Holly, he placed it back on his head and closed his eyes again, letting the rays of sunshine caress his fair skin.

Holly lay down beside him and donned her own crown of white flowers. "There," she said after a long pause, "Now we both look foolish,"

Artemis chuckled lightly and soon his fingers found holly's intertwining them wordlessly. Artemis' thumb moved in compulsive circles on the back of Holly's hand and they both found it calming in their own way, for different reasons.

Their status? Friends. Really, really good friends who occasionally hugged and kissed one another's cheeks and hands and heads. But that was what friends did. Wasn't it?

They were not "seeing each other". Nor were they "going out". Holly sighed. All she knew was, even without the romance, from the moment they had their first connection after Artemis recovered from his mind wipe, she had never been just "Holly". She wasn't sure who "just Holly" was, unless it was "Holly and Artemis" or "JUST Holly and Artemis". Who was "Holly" if not a significant puzzle piece of "Holly and Artemis".

Holly pushed all of this into the "Things to Deal With Later" folder in her head and just focused on Artemis' cold thumb on the back of her hand. The afternoon sky was beginning to bathe the hills in golden light.

"Look!" Holly said excitedly, pointing to the sky, "the sun is setting!"

Artemis, who was just starting to doze off, found himself being shaken awake by her happy words. Her happy hands. When he opened his eyes, she was smiling at him and pointing to the sunset. Her auburn hair was dancing brightly in the warm breeze and yellow light.

Artemis sat up straight, his hand still entwined with her's. He didn't seem to notice though, as he felt by now that her hand was a permanent part of his appendage.

"It's beautiful, isn't it!" Holly gushed, her words like soft velvet, "we don't see many sunsets underground." She giggled, her eyes fixed on the fading colors. Red, orange, yellow, purple, pinks.

"I suppose you don't," Artemis murmured softly, gazing at the sky. The sun glinted gold, half concealed by the Tara hills.

He felt the feathery weight of Holly's head on his shoulder, a pleasure he didn't get that often. He leaned back slightly so that they were both reclining, fingers locked firmly. How could this not be love? Artemis wondered as Holly's warmth spread through his body. Who else would I do this for, except someone I loved with every inch of my heart.

The sun slid down another quarter.

"Look at those beautiful colors…" Holly sighed, twisting her head to look up at him. One of her own eyes met her gaze.

"Mmmh," Artemis consented, the single sound being enough for Holly. Usually they were alive with chatter, bickering and discussing everything that came to their minds. This afternoon no words were needed.

"The colors mean something, you know," Holly continued.

Artemis sat up straighter and gave her a look.

"I'm serious!" Holly laughed light heartedly.

"Please, do enlighten me, Miss Holly," Artemis teased regally.

Holly punched him playfully in the arm. "I have ideas too. I have stories. You aren't the only one who knows things around here…" she squawked, all memories of silence forgotten.

"What do the colors mean, oh wise and beautiful mother nature?" Artemis nodded at the sunset.

Beautiful? Holly thought. The sunset or me?

"Well… see that big patch of purple?" Artemis nodded. "That means luck."

Artemis smiled. "Something everyone around her need a copious amount of." Holly shifted herself and realized she was almost sitting in his lap.

"And that almost unnoticeable ring of red around the sun? That's anger."

"At least it's only small." Commented Artemis.

"Yellow. That means a bright future." Holly pointed to what color the sky was mostly eliminated with. She felt Artemis touch her leg. She wasn't sure if he meant to or not, but it felt good on her exposed flesh.

"That patch of orange over there means playfulness," Holly felt a hot blush on her cheeks and hoped Artemis didn't notice.

"What everyone needs at one time or another," when did his mouth get so close to her ear?"

"And pink," she moved on quickly, "pink is," the blushed returned, "pink is, well… it's… love…" she said in a small voice. She turned to look at him. When her head swivelled, his nose met hers.

"I think we should obey the rings of the sunset, Holly. After all, there is so much pink up there," his words were barely a whisper.

Holly's next words surprised her. "I was obeying long before I saw this sunset…"

Artemis hands cupped her face softly as he closed the gap between them.

"So was I Holly," he whispered, his lips moulding to hers with a sort of calm ferocity.

The last of the sun winked out and soon the ivory moon came out to play.


End file.
